With retirement rumours, Rohit Sharma turns up for optional practice at Lord’s Cricket News

TimesofIndia.com in London: There are also many songs Rohit Sharma walked into the iconic Lord’s cricket ground on Saturday. The situation remained the same as he left nearly three hours later.“The most important man in all of India!” shouted a fan. Another declared, “Ek century pakka kal! (One century tomorrow for sure!),” as Rohit smiled and sat in the luxury black bus. The runs may not flow for ‘Hitman’. The naysayers may have pushed him from the sidelines instead of supporting him to stay. But fans don’t see things like that. Rohit Sharma has scored 891 runs since the start of 2025, behind Shubman Gill974 and Virat Kohli‘s 961. This year, he has scored 241 runs, behind Gill’s 484 and Kohli’s 310. Pressure, even if the team management denies it, must have played a role.As Rohit and Kohli prepare for what could be their last bilateral game in England, their contributions to the game have not been forgotten.“They’ve obviously been fantastic players over the years, and it’s good to see them still playing the game,” the England skipper Harry Brook said ahead of the third ODI, with the series locked at 1-1.Rohit has scored just 37 runs in the ongoing series, 11 in Birmingham and 26 in Cardiff, prompting questions over whether the 39-year-old’s place in India’s ODI team is under threat. Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak insisted there was no pressure to speak of.On Saturday, Morne Morkel added another proverbial arm on Rohit’s shoulder.“It’s hard to work the new ball forward. We’ve seen that throughout the series. The ball is moving.“So batting forward is not easy. No doubt Rohit will do it. He has done it before. He is experienced, and he brings peace to the batting line-up. So, without a doubt, there are no worries or concerns about how he will handle things,” added the South African.His record with the Lord does not inspire much confidence. The right-hander has played five matches at the venue and has scored just 133 runs, including 83 in a Test in 2021. In four white-ball matches, he has taken just 29, with a top score of 15 in 2018. In fact, his last outing here ended in India’s 10-ball 1000-run chase in England.Hoping to change that, Rohit took part in an optional practice session ahead of the third ODI with Ishan KishanKL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav and Prince Yadav.During a batting stint that lasted more than an hour, Rohit faced Kuldeep, Mayank Yadav and the sidearm specialists. He looked mostly with good touch and control. During breaks, he jokes and laughs with members of the support staff. Afterwards, he walked to the bench, took off his gear and had a long talk with the coach Gautam Gambhir. Even before the net session, Rohit was seen standing next to Gambhir and Kotak in the Lord’s balcony, sharing a hearty laugh.Although this turns out to be the last ODI of Rohit Sharma’s illustrious career, the crowd will no doubt turn up in large numbers for one last glimpse of one of India’s greatest white-ball cricketers at one of the most iconic venues in the game.